Alexander O'Connell
Alexander Rupert O'Connell, known to most as "Alex" was the son of Evelyn and Rick O'Connell. Alex accompanied his parents on many of their exploits as he was kidnapped by cultists in his youth, faced an ancient mummy known as Imhotep, trained to become a Medjai warrior, and travelled the world with his parents, searching for ancient scrolls that would defeat Imhotep. Once Alex came of age, he had studied archaeology, tried to sign up in an Air Force, and eventually became an archaeologist by profession, overshadowing his father for a time as an adventurer. Biography Alex O'Connell would go through many different adventures throughout his lifetime, progressing to the point in his life in which he became an archaeologist, as did his mother and father. Kidnapped Alex accompanied his parents on digs and explorations of ruins in his youth, having an interest in Ancient Egyptian lore. On one such exploration in 1933, Alex, which the movie places at 8 years old at the time, went with his parents to an ancient temple in Egypt and surprised his father, Rick, when he sneaked up behind him in a passageway. Alex wanted to accompany his father on the exploration, but he was denied the chance, instead being told to return to the temple atrium, wait there and build his mousetraps. While Alex waited in the atrium, he saw three armed men enter the temple ruins, two searching through the piles of artifacts for some unknown object, and the third, named Red, going to "sort out the O'Connells" with a pistol. As he hid in a scaffold, Alex knew that these men were up to no good, and fired a pebble from his slingshot at one of them squarely in the back of the head. The thief, called Spivey, shouted out to his fellow thief that something hit him in the head; the other, called Jacques telling him to be quiet, as the temple that they were in was cursed. Alex fired another pebble at Spivey, this one hitting him in the head, but by this time Jacques knew that something was afoot and drew out his pistol. As soon as Alex fired a third pebble, Jacques quickly caught on and caught the pebble in midair, crushing it into dust. Now that Jacques and Spivey knew where Alex was and could see him clearly, Jacques began to climb the scaffold where Alex was with his sabre drawn. As Jacques moved in for the kill, Red ran out of the corridor that he came in, ordering them to leave. Jacques kicked the scaffold apart before leaving the scene, leaving Alex to fall from the scaffolding and onto one of the pillars within the atrium. As Alex fell, the pillar had knocked into another pillar, which crashed into another, on and on until all of the pillars had fallen. Meanwhile, his parents were caught in a corridor that was being flooded by water from the Nile, and Alex tried to push back the already-fallen pillar, but it did not go back into place, rather, it broke through the wall and released the water that was about to drown his parents. Flabbergasted, his parents lay breathless on the floor as Alex tried to explain. Return to London Upon returning to his family home in London, Alex carried the chest containing the Bracelet of Anubis that his parents had taken from the temple in Egypt into the house. Having heard the locks click on the chest, Alex was soon tempted to open it and behold the Bracelet. Putting it on, Alex began to see the visions of far-off places, including a vision of a rushed journey to Karnak. Soon after, Evelyn came downstairs and, sensing his mother coming down, Alex took a statue of a baseball player to put into the empty chest so that his parents would not suspect anything, concealing his wrist with the Bracelet on it. Alex pretended to have misplaced the key to the chest so as to buy himself time and remove the Bracelet, but as his mother was searching through his pockets for the keys, a deep voice sounded from the hallways and a tall dark figure in red robes stepped out, claiming to look for the chest, and demanded it be given to him. Evelyn, angry at the intruder, drew out a sword from the wall and demanded that the intruder leave, but from behind the figure stepped out a number of red-robed thugs that all bore weapons. As the figure stated that he would kill them and take the chest, another voice sounded, this one belonging to a man in black robes that Evelyn recognised as Ardeth Bay, as did the red-robed man, who was called Lock-Nah. At that point, the thugs began to fight against Evelyn and Ardeth as they fought to keep the chest, and Alex stood by with it still in his hands, fending off thugs. Lock-Nah then joined in the fray and overpowered Ardeth, who was too weakened by the attack on him to fight back as Lock-Nah knocked Evelyn out and took her away. Alex ran outside the manor to find his father and uncle, Jonathan Carnahan, and dodge bullets as the assailants shot at them from their cars as they drove off. Alex's father was pleased to see that he was alive but was shocked and angry to find Ardeth Bay in his home, throwing aside his anger to ask where the assailants were taking his wife: Ardeth replied that he did not know, but took out a photograph of a robed man, stating that wherever the robed man was, Evelyn would likely be: Alex took the photograph and recognised the man in the picture as one of the curators of the British Museum. Ardeth went on to point out that the obtaining of the Bracelet of Anubis would cause trouble for the O'Connell's, as the Bracelet would lead the wearer to the lost Oasis of Ahm Shere: Alex then revealed that he had the Bracelet on all along, but was scolded by Ardeth for having brought about the ignition of the next Apocalypse. O'Connell scolded Alex as well, boarding his car with his son, Jonathan and Ardeth as he drove off towards the British Museum, where they would all find the cultists and Evelyn, who was being held prisoner. As they drove on, Ardeth apologised for having frightened Alex, but explained that once the Bracelet was worn, Alex would have only seven days to reach Ahm Shere before the Scorpion King would awaken, and that the cult was resurrecting Imhotep, an evil long-dead mummy, so that he would battle the Scorpion King, for only Imhotep, as the cultists believed, could truly defeat the Scorpion King and take command of his armies, using them to either destroy mankind or to send its warriors back to the Underworld; the cultists had the goal of wiping out the world and so intended to find the Oasis and the armies within. Once O'Connell, Jonathan, Ardeth and Alex had reached the British Museum of Antiquities, O'Connell told Alex to guard the car despite Alex's insisting on coming along. Though Alex was told to stay behind with the car, he gave his father and Ardeth advice on how to get into the storage areas of the museum, where Alex's mother was being kept. While Alex waited outside of the museum, he told his uncle Jonathan the stories about the pyramid of Ahm Shere, and how at the top of the pyramid was a giant diamond that shone brightly to distant travellers, luring them to their demises. Soon after, the sound of gunfire rang out from the museum, causing Alex and Jonathan to try and start the car up, but Jonathan mistakenly broke the key in the ignition. The pair then looked around for another means of transportation, finding a double-decker bus, which Alex suggested they take: Jonathan walked up to the bus driver, who was on break, and, pretending to be a passenger, asked if he and Alex (who he claimed was his son) might look through the bus to find a children's book that belonged to Alex. The driver obliged, and stood surprised when Jonathan drove the bus away with Alex. Jonathan and Alex returned to Rick, Evelyn and Ardeth with the double-decker bus, to Rick's discontent at his car missing; in spite of the disappointment of not being able to use his own car, Rick went on the bus, along with the others, and escaped the mummies, noting that the four mummy soldiers, in their pursuit, trampled down Rick's car. Rick O'Connell and Ardeth Bay, just as it happened back in Hamunaptra years back, began to fight against the mummy, first blasting one completely away, then shooting one until only its upper torso remained. This torso was aggressive and struck Ardeth about the bus until it drew out its claw-like fingernails. which it used to slice at Ardeth. The soldier mummy was about to strike when it was shot into pieces, and another mummy attacked Rick, though this mummy was soon destroyed when Jonathan drove the double-decker bus through a shorter tunnel, tearing off the second half of the bus and the mummy was splattered against the tunnel entrance. The bus came to a stop on the Tower Bridge and one final mummy roared out at the group before Rick blasted it away. Rick and Evelyn's attention was momentarily directed at regrouping after having blasted away the mummies, and Alex, not wanting to see it, left to the other side of the bus where he was taken, screaming and kicking, by Lock-Nah, who had appeared in a car driven by the cultists to take Alex away, drawing up the bridge as they left so that the O'Connells could not reach their son in time. In Cairo Two days later, the cultists, having abducted Alex, headed to Cairo where they obtained a train to take them to Karnak. Alex was brought forth in one of the boxcars where the curator, a man named Baltus Hafez and Meela Nais, a millionaire allied with the cultists, stood: Alex recognised the Book of the Dead as it was given to Meela, and Meela stated that he should behave while with the cultists, threatening to place poisonous snakes in his bed if he did not. Hafez told Lock-Nah that Imhotep wished to meet Alex, and Lock-Nah forcibly picked up Alex to take him into the next car; the next car was decorated with many ancient Egyptian artifacts and had burning incense. In the middle of the car stood a tall, cloaked figure wearing a mask: Imhotep. Imhotep spoke to Alex at first in ancient Egyptian, but the words soon registered, thanks to the Bracelet allowing Alex to understand ancient Egyptian. The mummy told Alex that he would lead him to Ahm Shere, and Alex, trying to stay brave, asked what would happen if he gave the figure the wrong directions. Imhotep laughed at this, commending the boy's bravery, and replied that the Bracelet served as a gift and a curse: Alex explained that he knew that after putting on the Bracelet, the wearer would have seven days to reach Ahm Shere before the Scorpion King awoke, but Imhotep revealed that the Bracelet would kill the wearer if he did not reach Ahm Shere by the seventh day. Imhotep then concluded that Alex must not give misinformation, but Alex, trying still to stay brave, replied that his father would defeat Imhotep, but Imhotep, stepping forward, frightened the boy by removing his mask to reveal his rotted face, replying that he did not agree. Imhotep then gestured to Lock-Nah to remove Alex from the car. Over time, Imhotep had regenerated by consuming the organs of three mercenaries and Alex had been sent to another car with Lock-Nah: to amuse himself, Alex began to repetitively ask "are we there yet?" to Lock-Nah, who did not know, annoyed as he was, that Alex was playing a joke on him. Lock-Nah finally grew tired of the question and slammed his dagger down, almost on Alex's hand, coolly stating that he had missed his mark. Alex continued to annoy Lock-Nah until the warrior stood up and was about to attack when Alex said that he had to use the restroom. Lock-Nah shoved the boy into the dirty lavatory on the train, and Alex managed to send Lock-Nah away by stating that he could not use the restroom when someone was watching. Alex disgustedly flushed the filthy toilet and yanked it aside, revealing a hole in the floor that went directly under the moving train: Alex pulled on the emergency brake and slid out through the hole as the train stopped. Alex managed to escape from the train as it stopped and was almost shot by two armed guards as they fired away with machine guns before Imhotep intervened, using his powers to lift the two men up into the air, colliding them against one another before hurling them both into two rock pillars in the ruins. Alex ran on into the temple ruins, stopping when the Bracelet showed him the next stop in the journey that he was to complete: the temple island of Philae, the vision being stopped when Imhotep stepped into it and used his powers to lift Alex into the air, suspending his movements. To Ahm Shere To prevent Alex from escaping, he was chained at the ankle to a pole and kept near the cultist encampment in Karnak, Lock-Nah approaching him with a pitcher of water. Alex was told not to move away from the area, and was threatened by Lock-Nah, who advanced ready to hurt Alex, who brandished the Bracelet at the warrior. Lock-Nah threatened to kill the boy when the time came, but Alex stayed brave and replied that until that time came, the warrior would have to be more polite. Alex then demanded his water, which was thrust at him by Lock-Nah, who spilled some of the water onto the sand and angrily stormed off. Alex taunted Lock-Nah further by saying that there was no ice in the pitcher. Lock-Nah cursed loudly in Arabic and ordered his guards to watch over Alex, to ensure that he did not move. While none were watching him, Alex spilled the water onto the sand and used the resulting mud to make a sand castle replica of the temple island of Philae, which was left up when the cultist forces left Karnak the next morning. Before the cultists had left, Alex had hung up his necktie on a nearby statue that served as an arrow to point down on the little sand castle once his parents and uncle came looking for him. The cultist forces moved on to Philae and Alex left another clue in the sands there: a miniature sand replica of Abu Simbel, covered by his brown jacket. His parents had followed this direction and reached Abu Simbel, eventually reaching the Blue Nile. As the cultists had stopped at the side of the river, Alex was secretly building the next clue before an angry Lock-Nah stomped down on it furiously, accusing the boy of leaving clues. Imhotep called out to Lock-Nah, telling him to leave Alex alone, and with that, Imhotep told Alex that he hoped that the boy's parents had enjoyed their journey, summoning up his powers to create a massive tidal wave of water from the river that chased after the dirigible that the O'Connells flew in. At first the dirigible had escaped by flying through the canyons but was soon after caught by the waters and smashed into the Oasis below. Alex watched on with sorrowful concern at his parents' apparent demise, angrily pushing Imhotep away as he mockingly ruffled the boy's hair and left. In Ahm Shere After reaching the jungles of Ahm Shere, the cultists still kept Alex as a hostage but Lock-Nah's anger towards Alex led him to ask Hafez if he could kill Alex. Hafez, hearing this request, stated to Imhotep that there was no longer any need for the boy, to which Imhotep revealed that the Bracelet, not Alex himself, was the key to reinstating the powers of Ahm Shere. Upon hearing this, Hafez ordered Lock-Nah to retrieve the Bracelet from Alex's wrist. Personality and Traits As a boy, Alexander O'Connell was brave, clever and impetuous, but was also known to have an eye for trouble. Studious of ancient history, Alex knew about hieroglyphs and ancient lore from what his mother had taught him. Though his knowledge of archaeology, history, ancient customs and even such skills as how to build custom mouse traps was considerable, Alex had an impatience for certain areas of knowledge, such as studying ancient languages as Latin or ancient Greek, and left school at an early age to seek adventure. His years of adventure, however, moulded him into a more dry and sarcastic person that acted often without thinking, relying on his knowledge of history and bravery to see him through. In his younger years, Alex had an English accent as his mother did, freckles and blond hair, which changed in his older years as his hair darkened and his accent shifted to an American accent. As a youth during the summer of 1933, Alex wore a tan jacket, white short-sleeved shirt, striped green tie, grey shorts and brown shoes, with a pith helmet forming part of his ensemble. During the pursuit of the Scrolls of Thebes, Alex's accent changed, as did his garb, as he sported a shorts and a blue shirt that he switched for Medjai robes when he began to train to join the order. Appearances *''The Mummy Returns'' **''The Mummy Returns (novelization)'' *''The Mummy: Secrets of the Medjai'' **''The Summoning'' **''A Candle in the Darkness'' **''Against the Elements'' **''The Deep Blue Sea'' *''The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' **''The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (novelization)'' Behind the Scenes *Alex O'Connell was portrayed as a youth by Freddie Boath, voiced by Chris Marquette in the animated series, and portrayed as a young man by Luke Ford. *In The Mummy Returns, Alex mentions that he is 8 years old in a conversation with Jonathan. However, when looking at the time-lines shown in the movies, we see that the events of the first movie take place in 1926, and if Evelyn and Rick had immediately gotten married and conceived, it would have still taken at least 9 months until birth, placing Alex's birth in at least late 1926 or 1927. This means that Alex would have only been 6 or possibly 7 years old in 1933, when the second movie is shown to have taken place. Whether this is a mistake in the scripting of the conversation between Alex and Imhotep or a mistake in the dating of the events is uncertain. *Alex's nationality remains English, despite his accent, which changes throughout the series; in The Mummy Returns, Alex spoke with an English accent, whereas in The Mummy: Secrets of the Medjai and The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor, Alex spoke with an American accent. Category:Individuals Category:Medjai Category:O'Connell family Category:English Category:Males Category:O'Connell family Category:Carnahan family